Humane Academy trains future animal cruelty officers

CALIFORNIA -- Dozens of future animal cruelty investigators are undergoing two weeks of intensive training here in San Diego.

 

 On Friday, the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA gave us a glimpse of their basic animal law enforcement academy.

Students took part in several mock animal crime investigation scenarios Friday, such as animal hoarding and leaving animals tied up without water.

The Humane Society says this type of training is invaluable.

"Sometimes people are belligerent. They get upset with people, you know, which is real case scenarios. And these people that want to be officers one day have to learn how to handle those types of situations and keep their coolness about them and be able to deal with them," Randy Lawrence said.

The San Diego Humane Society is one of only two organizations in California that offer this type of Humane Academy, which is required to become an animal cruelty investigator.

(CBS8 - Sept 13, 2013)